Influence revisited.

A while back I wrote a blog post about influence – and how things we say and do often influence when we least expect it.  I actually had a few people in mind when I wrote that. 

One of those people was a long-time friend – we knew each other more than 30 years. Things he said and did had a profound effect on me for a great expanse of my life. The effect might not have always been good – or right, but it definitely shaped who I was. In recent years we had all but stopped talking. I had purposely distanced myself from him because I felt some of the wrong things about him were keeping me from moving in the right direction.

After I wrote the influence blog, I had decided I needed to sit down with my friend and explain to him how much he had influenced my life, thank him for the good influences and forgive him for the not-so-good.  In fact, I had the perfect day picked out. My family was having a gathering and he would surely be there.  

A week before the gathering I received a phone call, telling me my friend had passed suddenly.  I went to his funeral, and was overwhelmed with stories from people who had been influenced by his good side (and had obviously forgiven the not-so-good).  I heard stories about how in recent years he had begun to make changes – to improve his friendships and regain those he had lost along the way. He just ran out of time.

I’ve been thinking about this almost non-stop since the funeral. There are people who have influenced and inspired me along the way. Some of them probably don’t know what they have done for me. I think it’s time to let them know. 

While I can.